Start the tour

Self-guided free tour

Grand Bazaar and Süleymaniye: Merchants, sultans and an architect

Free · no booking Loop route

Duration
2 h approx.
Distance
4.3 km on foot
Stops
9 stops

From the commercial heart of old Istanbul to the great mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent: the Grand Bazaar, the booksellers' market, the Süleymaniye terrace above the Golden Horn, the tomb of Mimar Sinan, the tiles of Rüstem Pasha, the Spice Bazaar and the Galata Bridge. It's a walk of slopes: level along the hilltop, a steep descent with steps down to the water and a long, steady climb back to the Column of Constantine. About two hours and just over four kilometres, not counting time inside buildings; the Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.

Start and end Column of Constantine

Get there

The route

The 1 marks where the tour starts and ends.

The 9 stops

At each one, a story of about two minutes.

  1. 1

    Column of Constantine Start

    240 m · 3 min on foot

  2. 2

    Nuruosmaniye Gate

    560 m · 8 min on foot

  3. 3

    Book Bazaar

    700 m · 10 min on foot

  4. 4

    Süleymaniye Mosque

    250 m · 4 min on foot

  5. 5

    Tomb of Mimar Sinan

    620 m · 9 min on foot

  6. 6

    Rüstem Pasha Mosque

    220 m · 3 min on foot

  7. 7

    Spice Bazaar

    290 m · 4 min on foot

  8. 8

    Galata Bridge

    350 m · 5 min on foot

  9. 9

    New Mosque

    1.0 km · 15 min back to the start

  10. Back at Column of Constantine

    The tour ends where it started.

How it works

  1. 1. Get to the start

    Head to the starting point and tap “Start the tour”.

  2. 2. Listen

    At each stop, tap “I'm here” and listen to the story.

  3. 3. Follow the map

    Follow the map to the next stop. No rush.

Before you set off

Bring headphones and a charged phone: audio and map use up battery.

  • It is a loop: you finish where you started.
  • Stop whenever you like. Your progress is saved on this phone.
  • The route and the texts load when you start, so it keeps working with patchy coverage.
  • The walk stays outdoors. The time does not include going inside the buildings.
  • Available in Spanish and English.
Photo credits
  • 1. Column of Constantine: Stegop · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 2. Nuruosmaniye Gate: Dmitry A. Mottl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 3. Book Bazaar: Janabaevazizbek · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 4. Süleymaniye Mosque: Hunanuk · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 5. Tomb of Mimar Sinan: Veritas-tr · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
  • 6. Rüstem Pasha Mosque: User:Simm · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 7. Spice Bazaar: Robot8A · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 8. Galata Bridge: Rrburke · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
  • 9. New Mosque: Jorge Franganillo · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons